


Memory. It's a Funny Thing.

by tini_dancer



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King, IT Chapter Two - Fandom
Genre: "deleted scene", Adult Losers Club (IT), Losers Club (IT) Friendship, M/M, Memory Loss, The Derry Townhouse (IT), during it chapter two, eddie remembers richie, r+e, richie remembers eddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-25 15:20:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20914256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tini_dancer/pseuds/tini_dancer
Summary: The other four’s names were blank in his mind. He could remember what they looked like a little. There was a chubby boy who, if Richie remembered correctly, had a fascination for the history of Derry. There was a lanky all boy with curly hair. He was Jewish, Richie suddenly remembered. Lastly there was a short boy with floppy black hair. He always wore a fanny pack, for what reason Richie did not know. For some reason he stuck to mind as he made his way to the Derry Town House.ORWhen Richie gets to the Derry Town House, he runs into an old friend that once had a special place in his heart.





	Memory. It's a Funny Thing.

**Author's Note:**

> *takes place towards the beginning of It Chapter Two  
**I don't think there are spoilers, but spoiler warning  
***I think Richie lives in Chicago in the movie (on Mike's contacts list) but I know it's LA in the book

Derry had not changed since he had left. Sure, some buildings had shut down and the people walking the streets were caught up in their phones instead of actually paying attention, but that was it. As soon as he crossed the town line, Richie felt thirteen again, riding his bike around with the rest of the Losers, and those memories hit him like a truck. He hadn’t even remembered living in the town 24 hours prior, but there he was, driving through downtown and slowly remembering things from his childhood. Why had he forgotten?

He couldn’t remember half of his friends. He knew there were seven of them total in the group, but he only remembered three. He remembered Mike first. When he had gotten the call, the first thing he remembered what the rock war against...who was it? It was a group of bullies, he remembered that. At the airport in Chicago he remembered Bill. He saw one of his books while passing a shop in the terminal. He had been friends with Bill the longest, having met him when they were 10. Then he remembered Beverly while passing by an abandoned apartment complex. She lived in that very building, where everyone else went to clean her bloody bathroom while he stayed outside. He also recalled that had first tried a cigarette with her. He had stopped smoking in 2009, but remembering her and the uneasiness of being back really made him want to.

The other four’s names were blank in his mind. He could remember what they looked like a little. There was a chubby boy who, if Richie remembered correctly, had a fascination for the history of Derry. There was a lanky all boy with curly hair. He was Jewish, Richie suddenly remembered. Lastly there was a short boy with floppy black hair. He always wore a fanny pack, for what reason Richie did not know. For some reason he stuck to mind as he made his way to the Derry Town House. 

There were a few cars parked near the little motel. The sign by the building said  _ no vacancy _ , which surprised Richie, since he didn’t know why anyone would want to stay in Derry for a visit. Hell, he didn’t really know why  _ he  _ was doing it. Mike only said that he needed to come home, and his gut told him to do it. He didn’t know why, he just did it. So there he was, walking into the town house with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. 

The town house was very...Derry. As in, it looked too old for the time. It even looked too old for the 80s. The lights were dim, the curtains were flowery, and there wasn’t a tv in sight. He noticed a small bar in the common room, and Richie felt like he needed the strongest thing back there. He didn’t want to partake yet, though. He didn’t want to come off as an ungrateful customer.

Richie took a few steps to the front desk, but stopped when he saw someone was already there talking to the clerk behind the desk. It was a man, definitely shorter than himself, in a dark red jacket and blue polo. The clerk looked like her head was about to explode as she talked to him.

“...and I need my bathroom properly sanitized. Do you know how much bacteria there is in hotel bathrooms? And this should be better, since there are not many rooms in this place. But it’s not!”

The clerk sighed, “Sir, I promise you we take good care in cleaning the rooms and bathrooms. There is no chance of anything bad happening in there.”

The man pestered on, “I have sensitivities others don't. Look, I’m about to leave to meet some people for dinner. Can the room please be properly cleaned by the time I get back? It should be plenty of time.”

“If we do it, do you promise not to bother me again?” The clerk said very rudely. Even Richie was taken aback by her abrasiveness.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” the man said, “just please have it done.”

The clerk gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up, then saw Richie and cleared her throat, “May I help you, sir?” She wait for the other guy to leave before changing her focus.

Richie nodded, “Yeah, I’m here to check in.”

The other guy began walking away as the clerk went to her computer, “Last name, please.”

“Tozier,” Richie replied, going to the desk, “T-O-Z-I-E-R.”

The other man stopped walked towards the door. He froze in his place, Richie noted. How odd.

The clerk clicked on a few things on the computer, “Richard?”

Richie nodded. He eyed the man from before, who had now turned to face him. There was something familiar about him, but Richie could not place him. His face was thin and he had these big brown puppy eyes. His pupils were wide and his face was stagnant. 

“Here is your room key, Mr. Tozier,” the clerk said, catching Richie’s attention again, “room 02. It is up the stairs and to the right. Need anything else?”

“No,” Richie smiled, “I’ll be good. Thank you.” He took the key and put it in his pocket. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder and began to walk up stairs.

Then a voice stopped him.

“Richie?”

He turned. The man from before was now at the bottom of the steps. He looked almost desperate, like he hoped he was right about who he called. Very timid.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Richie said, “Not to sound rude, but do I know you?”

The man shrugged, “I just remembered you a few minutes ago.”

“Did you come to a show one time?”

“No,” the man smiled, “I just remember a boy in thick glasses and Hawaiian shirts telling me ‘your mom’ jokes every five seconds.”

Like a tidal wave, it hit Richie. A memory flooded his brain. He remembered knocking on a bedroom window and being met by a white arm cast. No, it wasn’t completely white. Scrawled across it in giant letters was one word.  _ LOSER. _

The Losers Club.

He snuck into this boy’s bedroom to hang out. They stayed quiet so his mom wouldn’t hear. They played cards and joked with each other. 

_ “I hate my cast. Greta is the fucking worst.” _

_ “You can fix it. Just cross it out or something.” _

_ “But it isn’t wrong. I really am a major loser.” _

_ “No you aren’t, Eds. You’re more of a lover than a loser.” _

_ Eds… _

“Eddie?”

Richie remembered him now. He was the small boy with the fanny pack. Well, he didn’t wear a fanny pack anymore. He was still short. 

Eddie smiled, “How’ve you been, Rich?”

“Um, good,” Richie nodded, “you?”

“I’m alright,” Eddie bit his lip, “I guess Mike called you too?”

Richie nodded, “Yeah, yesterday. Said I needed to come home.”

“Me too. Though I couldn’t quite remember what ‘home’ was at first.”

“Yeah,” Richie agreed, “I forgot this place existed.”

“Same here.”

It was quiet for a second. They just kind of stared at each other, taking the other in. Eddie had changed a lot, but hopefully not too much, Richie thought. He looked almost the exact same, just older. The same probably couldn’t be said for Richie and his receding hairline.But Eddie was able to remember him.

“I guess I’ll see you at the dinner, then,” Eddie said, “Jade of the Orient?”

“Oh, yeah,” Richie suddenly remembered, “when is that?”

“In half an hour,” Eddie reminded him, “I’m leaving now. Guess I’ll see you there?”

Richie nodded, “Yeah. See you there.”

Eddie grinned and then left. Richie stood at the stairs for a minute. A rush of mixed emotions filled him. His heart was pounding fast and his hands went coldly wet. He remembered how he felt that night he snuck into Eddie’s room, the warm face and the irremovable smile. He never felt that way about the other Losers. This was different. Eddie was different.

_ Oh yeah _ , Richie recalled, feeling like he was smacked in the face with a sign that said ‘truth’,  _ I was in love with him _ . 


End file.
